Top News

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday countered BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's 'patak patak ke maarenge' remark with "dubo dubo ke maarenge" jab, daring him to come to Mumbai. 

"A BJP MP said, 'Marathi logon ko hum yahan pe patak patak ke maarenge'...You come to Mumbai. Mumbai ke samundar mein dubo dubo ke maarenge," Thackeray said in Mumbai today amid the ongoing Hindi-Marathi language row in Mahaarshtra.

#WATCH | Mumbai: On 'Patak Patak ke Maarenge' remark of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, MNS chief Raj Thackeray says, "A BJP MP said, 'Marathi logon ko hum yahan pe patak patak ke maarenge'...You come to Mumbai. Mumbai ke samundar mein dubo dubo ke maarenge." pic.twitter.com/V95IaggL2m

— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2025

Thackeray's reaction comes after Dubey, an MP from Jharkhand's Godda, defended his "patak patak ke maarenge" remark against Thackeray. He reiterated that Maharashtra was not just for Marathis, and that "even today, only 31-32% Marathi speakers live in Mumbai".

"I am saying this again, I stand by my statements. This nation is diverse, and all its people have a strong affection for their region...If Maharashtra is a part of this country, then anyone can be settled anywhere in this country...But they beat up those who are Hindi language speakers," Dubey told news agency ANI during an interview.

The row between the two leaders began after the MNS chief asked his party workers to "hit below the eardrum" of those who do not speak Marathi in Mumbai, but not to record videos of such assaults. 

Reacting to Thackeray's provocative statement, Dubey took to X to slam the leader, challenging him and his party workers to assault "try beating Urdu speakers in Maharashtra if you have the courage".

"Even a dog is a tiger in its own home. Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the tiger,” he wrote, adding, "Tumko patak patak ke maarenge” (You will be thrashed badly, again and again).

Raj Thackeray on Friday also warned that his party will "shut down schools" if Hindi was made mandatory for Classes 1 to 5 across Maharashtra schools. He also reiterated that those living in Maharashtra must learn Marathi. 

Earlier this month, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government withdrew two orders that mandated Hindi in primary schools after facing strong protest from the opposition, including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who united with his cousin Raj after nearly 20 years.